leihevsleiteWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“leihe” and “leite” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#27,394
“leihe” frequency rank
#21,339
“leite” frequency rank
48733
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature leihe leite
Definition 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs leihen 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs leiten

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set leihe and leite apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
leihe
5 ch
leite

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. leihe ([ˈlaɪ̯ə]) and leite ([ˈlaɪ̯tə]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by a single letter - h in “leihe” becomes t in “leite”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 48733, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

leihe is recorded at frequency rank #27,394, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈlaɪ̯ə]. leite is at rank #21,339, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈlaɪ̯tə].

Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.

With a confusion score of 48733, this pair ranks #1,237,708 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of leihe vs leite

Shared letters: eil. Private to "leihe": h. Private to "leite": t.

"leihe" · 5 letters · shape CVVCV  ·  "leite" · 5 letters · shape CVVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • leiheelihe · lehie · leieh · leihhe · liehe · lleihe
  • leiteelite · leiet · letie · liete · lleite

Frequency comparison

leihe#27,394
leite#21,339

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "leihe" and "leite" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈlaɪ̯ə] versus [ˈlaɪ̯tə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "leihe" or "leite"?
"leite" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #21,339 in our German list, against #27,394 for "leihe". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering leihe vs leite

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “leihe” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list